NSC boat Mojito, aka Clear Air, took first place at the 2026 J/24 North American Championship held September 30 – October 4 at the Port Credit Yacht Club in Mississauga. Former North American and World Champion Rossi Milev skippered the boat to a first place finish after 8 races over three days. The crew included boat owner and longtime NSC member Vince Somoza.
Six boats from the Nepean Sailing Club were amongst the 24 boat fleet, making it by far the best represented club at the event. ShinDig, skipped by John Rae, cracked the top 10 with a 9th place finish, followed closely by Barking Squirrel with Jean Levac at the helm in 11th. Steve Brombach helmed Flying Circus to a 17th. Jeff Jorgensen, skippering White Hot!, finished 22nd, while the all-women’s team lead by Annaliese Cassidy on Feral rounded out the standings in 24th. The acheivement of the NSC teams was all the more impressive given the large number of J/24 Champions from past Worlds, Nationals and Europeans in the USA contingent.
Eight races were held over the three-day event with the fleet of 24 boats facing mostly light to moderate winds and a choppy sea state. The final day of racing saw conditions change rapidly in the early afternoon with a blast of sun bringing heavy air mid-way through the 1st race and gusts up to 28 knots, adding an extra challenge for competitors.
A second Canadian team, Evan Petley-Jones and the crew of Lifted from the Chester Yach Club/Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, finished 2nd overall. The top American boats was Kurt Dammeier racing Amuse Bouche from the Corinthian Yacht Club Seattle, in 3rd place. Just three points separated the top three boats. You can see the full results here: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative/50626
The 2026 NAs were also a world qualifier for next year’s J/24 World Championship to be held in Rochester, New York in early October. Congratulations to all six NSC skippers and crews who have earned hard-fought qualifying berths after competing in this event.
